North House Folk School - Courses, Classes, Workshops

Traditional Finnish Ski Poles - Craft Your Own Set

Outdoor Skills & Travel

Mark Hansen

Enhance your winter adventures with these lightweight, durable ski poles which are based on the types used by northern Minnesota Finnish immigrants for winter travel. The poles are constructed with balsam shafts, copper rivets, whitetail-tanned buckskin grips and moose rawhide and red willow baskets. You will make your custom-sized ski poles using age-old techniques passed from Finnish ski maker Marvin Salo (whose father was a master ski maker trained in the old Saami school of ski construction) to your instructor Mark Hansen. This course is a great complement to the Traditional Birch Ski making course.

Dates

Mon, Jan 16, 2012 - Tue, Jan 17, 2012
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 - Tue, Jan 15, 2013

(Available for registration on 03/01/2012 after 08:00AM)

Course Details

Length in days:

Hours:

9am-5pm

Tuition:

$190.00 per student (May 1-Oct 31)
$190.00 per student (Nov 1 - Apr 30)

Materials:

Varies (approx. $125)

Levels:

Beginner to Advanced

Making it happen:

When should I enroll?
We can't hold classes without students! Decisions regarding course cancellations (as related to minimum enrollment) are made three weeks before the class starts--so if you've got a course in mind, plan ahead and sign up at least three weeks in advance! That way we'll know you're coming, courses are more likely to meet minimum enrollment numbers, and then they'll actually take place.
Also watch for the words "nearly full" next to course dates. When that notation appears it means there are only one or two spots left--so sign up soon!
Do you take last minute registrations?
Of course! Although it's important that courses meet minimum enrollment three weeks before their scheduled start dates, we know that life doesn't always allow for prior planning. As long as there are still spots left in a course we're happy to accept your registration last minute.
When will new course dates be posted?
New course dates are posted both in the spring and fall to coordinate with our course catalog release dates. All the new dates are opened for enrollment on the same day and at the same time, so that everyone gets a fair crack at a spot in the courses they're interested in. As that time rolls around we announce when the new dates will "go live" in our e-newsletter. (sign up here!)

Traditional Finnish Ski Poles - Craft Your Own Set